Canadians Urged To Donate To Haiti Relief

We talk a lot about money here at Synergy Merchant Services. But no one could be more in need of financial support at this time than the ravaged citizens of Haiti. Struck by a destructive earthquake just two days ago, Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince is suffering tremendous loss. This morning, it was reported that the death toll in the impoverished Caribbean nation is in the tens of thousands. Maybe more.

Countries all over the world are participating in an outpouring of support for Haiti, who is in the midst of trying to cope with this disaster. The Toronto Star has reported that Canada has immediately donated $5 million towards the relief effort and will match every dollar that Canadians give to the relief effort in Haiti up to a maximum of $50 million.

In addition to the death toll, a reported three million people have been injured and left homeless. The Tuesday earthquake was truly devastating. With a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter scale, the quake was the worst to hit Haiti in 200 years. The Star reports that at least three Canadians have died in this tragedy and about 100 Canadians have been evacuated from Haiti.

According to Defence Minister Peter MacKay, Canada is sending two warships and two aircrafts to carry humanitarian aid to Haiti. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement that he has spoken with United States President Barack Obama about working together during the relief efforts.

“Our governments are cooperating closely,” said Harper, “particularly on the deployment of a response. We will closely coordinate as we move forward…We will have to do some response to the needs of people, but the first priority is to try to get to those people who may still be alive and can be saved. I can assure you that we are acting as quickly and as comprehensively as we can.”

Canadians are encouraged to look into their local charitable organizations who are accepting donations on behalf of the relief effort in Haiti. Donations made by each Canadian will be matched by the federal government through the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund until February 12.

If you are a Rogers or Bell cell phone user, perhaps the easiest way to make a donation is to text the word “HAITI” to 45678 in order to donate $5 to The Salvation Army Haiti Earthquake Disaster Relief fund.

Make no mistake, donations are sorely needed. There are many citizens without homes, water or food. There are still thousands who are missing. All accounts are that the devastation is unimaginable.

“It is a horrific scene,” said Sebastian Walker, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Port-au-Prince, “Thousands of people are in the streets and many are carrying suitcases, looking to leave the city and go to the provinces.”

Let’s hope that Canada reaches $50 million in donations in no time. There is no better time to show our nation’s compassion and concern than now.